Camera



March 9, MSK c. L.. FlTz 2,@733368 CAMERA k Filed March 22, 1954 :a sheets-sheet 1 35 the interior in elevation and the lens and prism Patented Mar. '9, i937 2,073,368 cantina Charles L. lFitz, Chicago, lll., assigner to Colortone Corporation, a corporation of illinois Application March 22, 1934, Serial No. 716,781

9 Claims. (Cl. 95-3) The invention relates to improvements in camthe registering device When using the cameraeras and more particularly it relates to improvefor taking black and White pictures; and

ments in cameras adapted for producing either Fig. 9 is ayview of an alternate form of gear black and White or color pictures. mechanism adapted for use with the disk shown in It is an object of the invention to provide an Fig. 8. ,5 improvedv form of lrn guiding and actuating Referring now particularly to the drawings, the

mechanisms adapted to accurately advance a principles of the invention are embodied in a lln for successive exposures in combination with camera comprising a housing it, on the front oi improved means for registering the number of which is mounted a lens casing il, providing a lo such successive exposures. camera aperture l2 and containing a plurality of 1 0 Another object of the invention is the provision lenses i3. The casing il is mounted on a meml of improved iilm operating means, in combinaber il providing an enclosure for the outer end of tion with improved locking and release mechaa compound prism block carried by a casing l5. `nism automatically operable to lock said iilm The prism block comprises three parallel longioperating means and to control or limit the maxtudnally extending prism assemblies respectively l5 imum amount of nlm travel for each operation, designated by the numerals it, il and ld. The said mechanism being manually operable to reprism assembly Il' comprises reflecting prisms 2t lease said means and to permit operation of the and 22 and a traIlSmiGing DliSm 23. all 0i trianmechanism to successively and automatically adeular cross section, arranged to provide a rectan- Vance the lm, guiar assembly approximately one and one half 2@ Many other objects and advantages of the coninches in length The diagonal faces 0f the struction herein shown and described will beprisms 23, 22, and 23 are inclined at 45 to the Obvious to those Skilled in the ayt. from the dislongitudinal axis of the assembly, the diagonal closure herein given. face of the prism 2i and the rear diagonal face 25 To this end my invention consists in the novel 0f the prism 22 being silvered to provide pallal 25 construction, arrangement and combination of reetos adapted to diffide hght entering the parts herein shown and described, and more paraperwre 5 2 from the ObJect 581i @mummy pointed out n the Claims y The prism assembly lo comprises an outer prism in the drawings wherein like reference Chap lthaving a triangular cross section, and an inner 3o acters indicate like or correspondingr parts, Fig. 1 pnsm 2@ hawng a rectangular Cross Section i Tne 3G is a full size elevational View of a camera embodyprism w its mite? dlafgonal face manned a? ing the principles of the invention wherein the T25 to the longltuqma'l. am? of .the assembly ano side Wall adjacent tothe observer provides a delts rear fag@ termmatmg m fihgmflent im .the tachable cover which has been removed to show correspondmg face of the prism 2" Tue prism 2li preferably has a length of one and one' half 35 inches and the diagonal face of the prism l@ is silvered to provide a complete reflector.

The assembly it comprises an outer prism il@ of triangular cross section and an inner prism E@ of rectangular Across section. The outer face* 4@ of the prism 25 is inclined at an angle of 45 to the longitudinal axis of the assembly and is silvered to provide a complete reector. The prism r and Sembled positionin Fgg; and hs lts rear face terminating 1n alignment 45 Fg- 6 is a View along the une 5 6 of Fig 3 Wl'tllli ceplroflofttllepnmcomprisin the showing the locked position of the film release un. by -f d f bg l3 m h n .u t t d 1 d u 1 ee assem les 1s. um orm an pre era ly A he@ 15m 1 1S ra e m Te ease P051 Qn n of an inch. The Widths of the prisms are pref- Fig- 5: erably one and three eighths inches, that being 50 1rxlsleg. nlllelcllllsrtllarirslesanxgldiilifc flclln igt' lgs' grxnatry p otl'o 1'veictitllll f standard e e l 1 e camera an eX- contiguous areas of films in black and white phop'OS- to light rays traveling longitudinally fgrnaphy; v l through the prism assemblies. The contiguous Fls. 8 1S a View 0f a dlSk fOlming portion 0f .races of all of the prisms are fastened together 55 housings in section;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view oi the lower portion of the camera as observed from the side opposite to that shovm in Fig.

Fig. 3 is a view along the lines 3-3 or Fig. l;

Fig. l is a View of a fragmentary portion of the camera taken along the line ll-5i of Fig. 3;

byva thin layer of transparent adhesive material, such for example, as Canada balsam, with the rear faces of the prisms 26 and 26 contacting with an apertured plate 21 mounted on the inner end of the prism housing I5.

Light, coming from the object field and passing through the lenses I3, travels through the prism 2|. A portion of the light passing through the prism 2| is reflected by its silvered surface into contact with the total reflecting mirror provided on the diagonal surface of the prism 25, and then travels longitudinally through the prism assembly I8, comprising the prisms 25 and 26. The light Which passes through the partially reflecting mirror on the inclined face of the prism 2|, travels through the prism 22. A portion of this light is reflected by the partially silvered rear surface of the prism 22, the re- 29 and 30, the apertures 28 and 30 being respectively adjacent to the end faces of the rectan gular prisms 20 and 26, and the aperture 29 in register with the space 24 between the prisms. The apertures 28, 29 and 3|] are preferably of the same size and slightly smaller than the ends of the adjacent prisms. 'Ihe bounding edges of the apertures 28 and 30 thereby provide frames, leaving uncovered all but a small marginal edge portion of the faces of the adjacent abutting prisms 20 and 26.

The compound block, made up of the prism assemblies I6, I1 and I8, is held against movement in the casing I5 by detent members 3| and 32. inclined face of the prism I9 and the member 32 similarly presses against the inclined face of the adjacent prism 25, thereby holding the rear faces, of the prisms 20 and 26 against the plate 21. The compound prism block may be withdrawn from its mounting in the casing I5 by detaching the member 9 and the detent members The apertured plate 21 isv fastened to the prism casing I5 by screws 33 extending through the plate into engagement with a frame member 34 providing a mounting for a slide plate 35, carrying filter plates 36, 31 and 38 positioned to respectively cover the apertures 28, 29 and 30.

The film 39 is carried by an upper supply4 reel 40 and a lower winding reel 4|, the intermediate portion of the film passing over an upper roller 42 and underneath a lower sprocket spool 43.

'lIhe reel 4| is shown as detachably mounted on and rotatable by a shaft 52, and the reel 49 is similarly mounted on a shaft 54. Inwardly projecting. lugs 50 on the cover Illa, having strips 5I of felt or other brous material pasted thereon, hold the reels 40 and 4| in operative position on their rpective shafts 54 and 52 when the cover Ia is in position. A further showing or description of the mounting of the reels 40 and 4| is omitted as being well known in the art.

Aportion of the unwound lrn 39 connecting the roher 42 with the sprocket' spool 43, engages 'Ihe member 3| presses against the adjacent the adjacent face of the frame member 34 and is held in contact therewith by a pressure plate 44 carried by a gate member 45. 'Ihe gate member 45 is swingably mounted on the base plate 12 by means of hinges 41 and is held in closed `position by a spring latch 48 -not shown. The

pressure plate 44 is secured to the middle of the member 45 by a pair of screw bolts 46 adjusted to provide the desired pressure on the portion of the lm'39 positioned between the plate andthe member 34. The marginal edges of the pressure plate 44 are held in contact with the film 39 by a pair of spring plates 49.

The ends of the sprocket spool 43 provide flanges having teeth 55 accurately spacedto enter and fill the usual marginal apertures or perforations with which lms are commonly provided; The film 39 is advanced for successive exposures back of the prism block by rotating the reel 4| clockwise as observed in Fig. 1 to Wind the lm on the reel, this being accomplished by manual manipulation of a knob 59 on the projecting end of the shaft 52. Rotation of the reel 4I in the opposite direction is prevented by a ratchet wheel 6|] xedly mounted on the shaft 52 and engageable by a pawl 6| held in operative position by a spring plate 62. i

The described rotation of the reel 4I causes the Vsprocket spool 43 to rotate as the film 39 is wound upon the spool 4|. A pair of bars 64 mounted on a pivot 68 and having one end curved as shown to engage the adjacent marginalledge of the film 39,

hold the film in close Contact with the flanged ends of the sprocket spool 43. A spring 69 mounted on the pivot 68 yieldingly holds the shoes.

0r bars 64 in operative position, in which position of the film 39,'the teeth 55 prevent the film from slipping on'the sprocket spool 43. r'he flanged edges of the sprocket spool 43 have a circumference of exactly three inches, corresponding to the length of film section utilized in each exposure and, as a result, each successive exposure of the film requires that the sprocket spool be rotated exactly one complete revolution. The sprocket spool 43 is mounted on and rotates a shaft 51 which projects through the base plate 12 and has its adjacent end journaled in the side Wall of the casing I0. A bore 63 in the other end of the shaft 51 is threaded to receive a screw bolt 56. The outer portion of the bore 63 and of the bolt 56 are correspondingly convergent, the tapered end of the shaft being split longitudinally in a manner such that the bolt Wedges the split portions of the shaft against the sprocket spool and causes the shaftand sprocket spool to rotate together.

Mechanism is provided which operates automatically to lock the sprocket spool 43 upon completing one revolution and is manually operable to release the sprocket spool for further rotation. The mechanism, shown in locked position in Fig. 3 and in released position in Fig. 5, includes a cam plate B0 adjacent the end of the sprocket spool 43, an intermediate disk plate 8|, an outer disk plate 82, and a ring washer 83, all keyed onto the shaft 51 and preferably fastened together in any suitable manner, for example, by welding to provide a unitary member revolvable by the shaft. A gear 95, positioned between the base plate 12 and the side wall of the housing I0, is'also keyed 'onto the shaft 51.

A icombination automatically locking and manually actuated release device operatively engages the cam and disk plate assembly mounted on the shaft51.- The locking and release device includes a. plate 86 and a bifurcated plunger rod 81. The outer` peripheral edge of the plate 82 is provided with a beveled slot 84 adapted to receive a correspondingly beveled cam member 85 projecting from the plate 86. The cam plate 80 has its peripheral edge stopping short of the edge of the plate 8| on the side adjacent the slot 84 and'thereby provides a cam face operable in a manner hereinafter more particularly described.

'Ihe plate 86 is tiltably mounted on the inner bifurcated. end of the plunger rod 81 by means of a pin 92. The edge of the plate 86 opposite to the cam 85 provides a downwardly projecting arm 88 carrying a pin 89.- 'I'he outer` end of the plunger rod 81 projects through and is slidable in an aperture 90 in the casing l0. The inner bifurcated end of the rod 81 extends through and is slidable in an aperturel 9| in the base plate 12. The aperture. 9| is elongated to permit a swinging movement ofthe plate 86 on its pivot 92, and a leaf spring 93,' operatively engaging the pin 89, tends to hold the lower diagonal edge of the plate '86 in contact with a ange 91| formed on the plunger rod 81. `The spring 93 also tends to hold the extreme lower end of the plate 86 in contact with the side wall of the casing |0 thereby limiting the outward movement of the plunger rod 81.

The locking and releasing device is shown in its outer-most position in Fig. 3 with the cam 85 in the slot 8d, in which position the shaft 51 andv sprocket spool 43 are locked against rotation. Upon movement of the locking device to the posi-f tion shown in Fig. 5, the cam 85 rests on the inner exposed portion of the face of the plate 8|. In this position of the cam 85 it is adaptedto be moved over the plate 8| and thereby permitrota- -is thereby tilted to one side, the leaf spring 93 yielding sufficiently to vpermit the tilting movement. Upon completion of the inward movement of the plate 88 and the rod 8l the spring 93 swings the plate 86 back to its normal position relative to the rod and 'seats the cam 85 on the exposed portion of the inner face 'of the disk plate 8| with the end of the cam in engagement with the eccentric edge of the c am plate 80. In this position of the cam it is adapted to be moved over the exposed portion of the face of the plate 8| and permit .the sprocket spool 03 to be rotated by winding the film 39 upon the reel 4|. The resulting rotation of the sprocket spool d3 correspondingly rotates the shaft 51 as already described together with the assembly of plates 80, 8| and 82 carried by the shaft.- Rotation of the cam^ plate with the cam 85 positioned thereon forces I the cam outwardly on its seat on the plate 8| and is completely unseated upon rotation of the sprocket spool i3 and the cam plate 88, through approximately 100. The spring S3 then operates to move the unseated cam 85 to a position where its outer pointed edge presses against the peripheral edge of the disk 82. Rotation of the sprocket spool i3 and of the plates assembled on the shaft 51 through one complete revolution permits the cam 85 to again enter the slot 8d and lock the sprocket spool against rotation.

The number of. successive exposures of the lrn 39 can be read from a graduated disk 99 operatively connected with the shaft 51. A shaft 91 suitably journalled in the base plate 12 and in the side wall of the housing |0 provides a mounting for the graduated disk 09, the latter being held in positionon the shaft by a screw bolt 98. 'Ihe disk S9 -frictionally vengages the shaft 91 in such a manner as to be rotated by the shaft and to permit the disk to be rotated manually about the shaft as desired.

The shaft 91 is actuated by a gear 96 in mesh with the gear 95 onthe shaft 51. The gears 95 and 95 are respectively provided with 51 and by means of which the-number of completed f rotative movements of the sprocket spool 43 and corresponding consecutive exposures of the film 39 may be read on the disk 99. Assuming the disk 99 is set at zero reading preliminary to the first lm exposure, the arrow |00 will point to the unit reading on the disk 99 upon completion of the first lm movement. The advancement .of the film 39 for the second exposure by winding it on the reel 0| and the resulting rotation of the graduated disk 99 through 1:1/50 revolutions will leave the disk in a position wherein the arrow |90 points to the second disk gradua tion. Obviously each successive completed rotative movement ofthe sprocket spool 43 will be similarly indicated and totalized up to fifty successive exposures.

The foregoing description illustrates the use of a one hundred fifty inch length offilm for color photography, ,wherein three inches of film are used for each exposure. In taking blackwhite pictures only one and one half inches of film is required for each exposure and in order that the lm 39 may be advanced exactly 11/2 inches, the cam and disk plate assembly shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6, as mounted on the shaft 51, will be replaced by the assembly shown in Fig. 7. The assembly of plates shown in Fig. 7

consists of an inner cam plate |04 separated from y an outer disk plate |05 by a disk plate |05.

`surfaces and leaving corresponding opposite crescent shaped surfaces of the plate |05 uncovered to provide a seat for the cam 85 adjacent each slot |01. v The operation of the automatic locking and manually actuated cam releasing mechanism is the same as that already describedfexcept that the sprocket spool il@ is locked thereby upon each rotation through and thus limits the lm movement to 11/2 inches.

In using the camera for taking black and white pictures a graduated disk 99a, shown in Fig. 8, is substituted for the disk 99, and gears 95a and 96a, shown in Fig. 9, are respectively substituted for the gears 95 and 56. The disk 99a is preferably of the same size as the disk 99, but is drawn to a larger scale to more clearly illustrate theclosely spaced graduations of which there are one hundred instead of fty as provided on the disk 99. The gears 951i, and 98a are respectively provided With ore hundred one and nity teeth and the diameters of the gears are respectively in the ratio of 101 to 50. Obviously, rotation of the gear 95a through 180 with the sprocket spool 43 will cause the gear 96a and disk 99a`to rotate through one complete revolution and 1/ 100 of a second revolution and thereby indicate each successive advance movement of the nlm 39 through 11A? inches.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided novel means for exposing limited areas of the nlm to light coming from an object neld in combination with improved means for successively advancing and locking the nlm automatically against further movement and improved manually operable release mechanism for permittingsuccessive advancement of the lm.

Having thus described my invention it is obvious that various immaterial modincations may be made in the same without departing from Letters Patent is:

thereof to said light, means preventing retraction of the nlm, a member rotatable by the advancing nlm,. means connecting said member and nlm adapted to prevent movement of the nlm without correspondingly rotating the member; means au- 4 tomatically operable to lock said member against rotation in either direction upon completing a predetermined amount of rotation, means manually operable to release said locking means and to automatically hold .said locking means in released position to permit further' movement of the nlm and corresponding rotation of the member, said locking means operating automatically to stop the member upon its further rotation by said predetermined amount, and means operable by the rotation of the member to indicate the total number of said completed rotative movements thereof.

2. The combination with a camera providing means for exposing a limited longitudinalV section of a nlm to light from an object neld, of means for advancing the nlm to successively expose contiguous longitudinal sections thereof to said light, said means comprising spaced apart rotatable supply and winding reels so arranged that a section of the nlm connecting the reels is exposed to said light, means manually operable to rotate the winding reel in one direction to Wind the nlm thereon and thereby advance thenlm, means preventing rotation of the winding spool in the opposite direction, a member rotatable by advancemovement of the unwound portion of the nlm, means operatively connecting said member and nlm adapted to prevent movement of the nlm except by correspondingly rotating said member in exact accordance With said nlm movement, rneans automatically operableto lock said member against further rotation in either direction upon completion of a predetermined amount of rotation thereof, means manually operable to release said locking means and to automatically maintain said locking means in released position to permit further advancement of the nlm and corresponding rotation of the member, and means operable by the rotation of said member to indicate the total number ofV said completed rotative movements thereof.

3. The combination with a camera providing means for exposing a limited longitudinal section of a nlm to light from an object eld, of means for advancing the film to successively expose contiguous longitudinal sections thereof to said light, said means comprising spaced apart rotatable supply and winding reels so arranged that a section of the film connecting the reels is -exposed to said light, means manually operable to rotate the winding reel in one direction to wind the nlm thereon and thereby advance the nlm, means preventing rotation of the Winding reel in the opposite direction, a member rotatable by movement of the unwound portion of the nlm, means operatively connecting said member and nlm adapted to prevent movement of the nlm except by correspondingly rotating the member in exact accordance with said nlm move.

ment, means automatically operable to lock said member against further rotation upon completion of apredetermined amount of rotationthereof, means manually operable to release said locking means and to automatically maintain said locking means in released position to. permit further advancement of the nlm and resulting rotation of the member by said predetermined amount, said locking means again operating automatically to stop the member upon its being further rotated by said predetermined amount, and means operable by the rotation of said member to indicate the total number of said completed rotative movements thereof.

4. The combination with a camera providing nlm carrying and actuating means, of a sprocket spool adapted to have a nlm Wrapped in close tting contact with a segment of its circumferential bounding surface, a plurality oi radially projecting teeth arranged in equal spaced circumferential relation about the spool and each adapted to enter marginal spaced apart apertures in .the nlm, a shaft-rotatable by the spool, a disk -rotatable by the shaft and providing a recess -resilient means operating to return the plunger rod to its initial position during further rotation of the disk and to move the plate into said recess upon onecomplete rotation of the disk.

5. The combination with a camera providing' film carrying means, of a sprocket spool adapted to have a film Wrapped in close tting contact with a segment of its circumferential bounding surface, a plurality of radially projecting teeth arranged in equal spaced circumferential relation about said bounding surface and each adapted to enter marginal spaced apart apertures in the nlm, .means manually operable to move the nlm in one direction and rotate the spool; a disk rotatable by the spool and providing a plurality' of equally spaced recesses each bounded by a cam surface, a plunger rod reciprocally movable adjacent to said disk, a cam plate pivotally mounted on said rod and adapted to -enter any of said recesses as they are respectively moved 'into convyieldable to permit manual actuation of said rogl and plate to a position'wherein the plate is released from locking engagement withrthe disk, said resilient means operating to return the rod toits original position during further rotation of the disk and to move the plate into the following recess upon its rotation into contiguity withthe plate.

6. The combination with a camera providing lm carrying means, of a sprocket spool adapted to have a film wrapped in close fitting contact with a segment of its circumferential bounding surface, a plurality of radially projecting teeth arranged in equal spaced circumferential relation about said bounding surface and each adapted to enter marginal spaced apart apertures in the film, means manually operable to move the iilm in one direction and thereby rotate the spool, a disk rotatable by and at the same rate as said spool, said disk providing a plurality ofequally spaced recesses in its peripheral edge each bound by a cam surface, a plunger rod reciprocally movable adjacent to said disk, a cam plate pivotally mounted on said rod and adapted when the rod is retracted to enter any of said recesses as they are respectively moved into contiguity to said plate and thereby lock the disk against further rotation, resilient means adapted to holdv said .plate in locking position in said slots and yieldable to permit manual actuation of said rod and plate to a position wherein the plate is released from locking engagement with the disk, said resilient means operating toreturn the rod to its original position following further rotation of the disk and to move the plate into the following recess upon its rotation into contiguity with the plate,` and means operable by 'rotation A of the spool to indicate the total number of said completed rotative movements of the spool.

7. In a. camera, means operable to advance a iilm, a rotatable sprocket spool, means automatically operable to lock the spool against rotative movement in either direction at the end of each successive rotation thereof by a predetermined amount, means manually operable to release the locking means from operative engagement with the spool and to automatically hloldV the'locklng means in released position to permit further advancement of the ilm, means operatively connecting the spool with the fllm'in a manner whereby advancement of the lm rotates the spool in exact accordance with the advancement of the film and locking of the spool prevents further movement of the film, means operable to movements of the spool, said registering means comprising a graduated disk, a stationary pointer providing an indicator for the disk, and mechanism operatively connecting said spool and disk,

said mechanism operable to rotate the disk to increase the indicated reading by one unit for each completed rotative movement of the spool.

8. In a camera, means operable to advance a film, a rotatable sprocket spool, means automati- -cally operable to lock the spool against rotation in either direction upon rotation thereof by a predetermined amount, means manually operable to release the locking means from operative engagement with the spool'and to automatically maintain the locking means in released position to permit rotation of the spool, means operatively connecting the spool with the lm in a manner whereby advancement of the film rotates the Y.

spool in exact accordance with the advancement of the film and locking of the spool prevents further movement of the film, means operable to register the total number of completed rotative movements of the spool by said amount, said registering means comprising a graduated disk,

'cally operable to lock the spool'against rotation in either direction for each successive rotation thereof by a predetermined amount, means manually operable to release the locking means from operative engagement with the spool and to automatically maintain-the locking means in released position to permit rotation of the spool, means operatively connecting the spool with the lm in a manner whereby advancement of the stationary pointer providing an indicator for the disk, a shaft operable to revolve the disk relative to the pointer, a pair oifmeshing gears one mounted on said shaft and the other rotatable by and with the spool, said gears operable by each completed rotative movement of the spool to revolve the disk through one complete revolution and a fractional revolution corresponding to one graduation of the disk. A CHARLES L. FITZ. 

